Draft-rigging.



No. 669,843. Patented Mar. I2, [901. G. S. MARSHALL.

DRAFT RIGGING ZZZ? No. 669,843. I Patented Mar. l2, I90l. a. s.MARSHALL.

DRAFT mama. (Applieatio n filed May 7 1900 (No'ModeL) 2 Sha ets-$haet 2.

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GEORGE S. MARSHALL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN RAILWAYEQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DRAFT-RIGGING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,843, dated March12, 1901.

Application filed May 7,1900.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. MARSHALL,

'a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis,State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDraft-Rigging, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 is avertical sectional view through a portion of a car-body,showing myimproved draft-rigging in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a planview, the flooring being removed and the end and draft sills being shownpartly in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view on line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is afront elevational view of the casting employed inconnection with the draft-rigging. Fig. 5 is an elevational view of thefollower-plate, and Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the castingshown lll Fig. 4.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in draft-rigging,the object being to construct the parts in such manner that a shortcross-key may be employed in connection with the continuous draft-rods,said draft-rods being short-coupled, so that the liability of bendingthe cross-key is reduced to a minimum. The timbers are also left intactto a greater extent than is usual with the ordinary form of continuousdraftrigging.

With this object in view the invention consists in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the several parts, all as willhereinafter be described, and afterward pointed out in the claims. i

In the drawings, A indicates the end sill, B the draft-sills, and G thefloor, of the car, such parts being of the usual construction.

D indicates the coupler shank, which is provided with a cross-key E atits rear end.

It is usual in that type of draft-rigging known as continuous to havethe crosskey to which the draft-rods F are connected pass through thecasting or castings in which the rigging is mounted or through thewooden draft-sills of the car. It is of course obvious that to theextent that the material is re- Serial No. 15,785. (No model.)

moved from these castings or draft-sills, (unless the parts arereinforced,) Whether made of wood or metal, such parts areproportionately weakened. It is one of the prime objects of my inventionto preserve the integrity of the sills as far as possible, and to effectthis the'cross-key E is make comparatively short-that is, its endsproject later ally but a short distance beyond the side walls of thecoupler-shank and are received in pockets or recesses a, providedtherefor in the inner faces of the draft-sills. These pocketsaccommodate the movement of the cross-key, and in order to effectrepairs easily without dismantling the entire rigging I prefer to extendone of the pockets entirely through the draft-sill in which it isformed, in order to insert or remove the cross-key through the openingthus provided. By this construction it is possible to arrange thecontinuous draft-rods F close to the couplershank and between thedraft-sills, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, instead of on the outside of thedraft-sills, as is usually done.

9 indicates the tail-bolt of the coupler, and G the draft-springssurrounding the same and bearing at their forward ends against thecoupler-shank, while the rear ends of said springs are seated againstthe follower-plate H, whose construction is best seen in Fig. 5. Thisfollower-plate is recessed at its side edges, as at h, to receive thecontinuous draftrods, as will be readily understood.

1 indicates a divided casting secured between the draft-sills andforming an abutment for the follower-plate H. This divided casting, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, consists of an upper portion J, provided withupwardly-extending marginal flanges j, while lugs or cars j extendlaterally from these marginal flanges and are received in seats providedtherefor in the draft-sills. These seats are in the form of channelsopening at their bottoms, and the casting J is introduced in positionfrom beneath, being secured in place by suitable securing-bolts 7' Thebottom wall of this upper casting is formed with a slotj in alinementwith the tail-bolt of the coupler, which slot receives a key g, passingthrough said tail-bolt. By this arrangement the iongitndinal movement ofthe tail-bolt is limited by the distance this key is permitted to travelforwardly or backwardly in-the slot j and in the event that thecontinuous rods are stretched or broken or the springs disarranged orfor any other reason the rigging is rendered inoperative in respect tocertain of its parts the strain of the push or pull is communicated fromthe coupler-shank through the tail-bolt to this key g, which cooperateswith the marginal flanges of the casting J.

K indicates a bottom casting which forms, primarily, a companion pieceto the casting J in that it is provided with marginal flanges 70, fromwhich project lateral lugs which are received in the seats in thedraft-sills. Securing-bolts k are also employed to secure this bottomcasting to the draft-sills, while a slot 1& receives the tail-bolt key9, as shown in Fig. 3. The contiguous walls of the top and bot-tomcastings J and K are so shaped as to form when assembled a longitudinalopening through which passes the tail-bolt of the coupler. In additionto this the contiguous walls are offset at their side edges to formspacesffor the passage of the draft-rods, as shown in Fig. 3. Boltsj arepreferably passed through the horizontal webs of castings J and K forthe purpose of securing them together. Horizontal flanges 70 extend fromthe corners of the bottom casting K, said flanges carrying bosses 7.0which are countersunk in the bottom faces of the draft-sills and throughwhich pass vertical securing-bolts k, with nuts on their lower endsimpinging against said bottom flanges.

From the above it will be seen that in case repairs are needed it isonly necessary to move the bottom castingK, when access will be had tothe tail-bolt, the follower-plate, and the draft-springs. If it isdesired to repair the continuous draft-rods, the cotter-pins can beremoved and the cross-key slipped out through the lateral opening, aswill be readily understood. When the draft-springs are thus uncoupled,the withdrawal of the tail-bolt key g, either in the presence or absenceof the bottom casting K, will enable the couplershank and its associateparts to be moved forwardly out of position for purposes of repair orsubstitution.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of the several parts of my improved draft-rigging can bemade and substituted for those herein shown and described without in theleast departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with end and draft sills which are recessed on theirinner faces, of a coupler-shank carrying a cross-key operating in saidrecesses, and draft-rods carried by said cross-key and located betweenthe draftsills and the coupler-shank, substantially as described.

2. The combination with end and draft sills, of a cross-key, anddraft-rods, mounted upon said cross-key and arranged between thedraftsills, one of said draft-sills being provided with an opening forthe insertion and removal of the cross-key to and from the coupler-'shank.

8. The combination with end and draft sills, of a coupler-shank carryinga cross-key, draftrods mounted upon said cross-key and arranged betweenthe draft-sills, a followerplate, draft-springs interposed between saidfollower-plate and the end of the couplershank, and a casting forming anabutment for said follower-plate, said casting having longitudinalrecesses in its sides for the passage of the draft-rods, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination of draft-sills, a couplershank located between thesame, a casting in rear of the shank, a cross-key passing through saidcoupler shank and the ends thereof working in longitudinal recesses inthe draftsills, draft-rods secured to said cross-key and located betweenthe coupler-shank and the draft-sills, a tail-bolt for said shank, saidtailbolt and draft-rods passing through channels in said casting,substantially as described.

5. The combination with draft-sills of a casting located therebetween,comprising parts J and K having in their abutting faces recesses formingchannels for a coupler tailbolt and draft-rods, said part J having sideprojections located in vertical recesses in the draft-sills, and saidpart K having side projections located in said vertical recesses, andhaving perforated bosses K for securing-bolts and located in sockets inthe under sides of said draft-sills.

6. The herein-described casting I comprising a lower part having in itsupper face a recess, and an upper part having in its lower face acomplementary recess, said parts having opposite slots 7' and 10 incombination with a tail-bolt working in the opening formed by saidrecesses, and a tail-bolt key passing through the tail-bolt and workingin said slots 9' and k substantially as described.

7. The combination with the tail-bolt of a coupler, of the castings JandK having their abutting faces formed to constitute, when together, apassage for the tail-bolt, through which said tail-bolt passes, saidcastings being slotted for the reception of the tail-bolt key, andmarginal flanges at an angle to the body of the casing forming the endswalls of said slot for cooperating With and limiting the movement ofsaid tail-bolt key, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature, in the presence oftwo witnesses, this 4th day of May, 1900.

GEORGE S. MARSHALL.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Soor'r, F. R. CORNWALL.

